KØAWU 10Ghz Rain/Snow Scatter
(Prior to the Tower 10Ghz System)
2004 Wawa Ontario 10Ghz Expedition
August 2005 10Ghz Rove
WØPHD EN18 -- July 28, 2004
July 28,04 14:10Z WØPHD EN18 5-2/ 5-4S CW,SSB 256Km
This is a radar composite of the 256km path between WØPHD and EN37ed. Signals were 5-2 from Wally early on and then build up to about S4 when we
signed. This was our first contact on 10Ghz and Wally's best DX. I operated
from the sandpit about 2miles SW of the home QTH. Even though I had the
tripod for the portable setting atop the cab of the pickup, I had some trees
in the direction of operation a hundred yards or so away. Elevation and heading
were both very critical and on the "horizon".
VE4MA EN19 -- July 15, 2004
July 15,04 18:50Z VE4MA EN19 5-9+10S CW,SSB&FM 400Km
This is a radar composite of the 400km path between VE4MA and EN37ed. Signals were 5-9+10db from Barry on CW,SSB and FM. We were in QSO from
18:50z to 19:08z. My heading was quite sharp as was the elevation. He said he
was running a heading slightly East of direct and that radar indicated the the
storm was moving quickly. I think this was the stongest I have ever heard Barry.
EN34 10Ghz Rain Scatter Contacts -- July 2/3, 2004
July 3 03:38Z WØGHZ EN34 5-9S SSB 240Km July 2 23:07Z WØZQ EN34 5-9S SSB 265Km July 2 23:03Z NØKP EN34 5-9S SSB 265KmSmall "pop up" TStorms came and went all late afternoon and into the early night. The cells were intense enough that they offered very nice signals. Doppler was too great to provide good FM conversation, but carrier only provided "full quieting. NØKP was a new initial contact.
VE4MA 10Ghz Rain Scatter Contact -- July 2, 2004
17:37Z VE4MA EN19 5-5S / 5-2S CW 400KmIt took two tries to work Barry on this system. We tried about 45min earlier and had no luck. The signals started just above the noise and when we signed seven minutes later Barry's signal was moving the S meter up to about 3 or 4S units. We tried SSB, but the signal was very "jumpy" in signal strength and was not at all like the normal RS "aurora sound", "rumbly" instead. Readable but not pleasant. Nice to check equipment at both ends.
WØGHZ 10Ghz Rain Scatter Contact -- June 23, 2004
02:26Z WØGHZ EN34 5-5S / 5-2S CW 240KmI was talking to Gary on the phone when I checked the Duluth Radar. Gary and I would like to better understand what is required for working this path. This system was fairly large in diameter, but really contained very little vertical development. As shown on the radar image, we tried two paths. One being direct which provided about S4 to S5 CW beacon signals and the second non-direct path that provided about an S2 signal. We made an offical SSB contact after observing the signal levels while beaconing to each other.
WØGHZ 10Ghz June VHF/UHF Contest Contact -- June 13, 2004
I ran across Gary on 2m SSB during the contest, just as I was looking at the Duluth Radar. "Hey we have a shot at this thing!" The cells had passed on through the direct path, but we still had a forward scatter angle. Gary needed to swing his dish all the way around to the NE and I didn't even have the 10Ghz system on or down on the dock to run. We decided to each get ready and then meet back on 2m SSB. I turned the system on, carried it down to the dock, set up and kicked on the beacon. Recontacting Gary, I told him I was beaconing, that the DEMI was still warming up, that I was about 8kc high and drifting down. Within a few seconds, I heard my beacon in the background at Gary's QTH. Dashing down to the dock we had a nice 5-9S SSB contact, once I got onto SSB and back on frequency. It was just light enough to see the display on the FT290RII to notice that when I first called him, I was was still in CW mode. This was my first 10Ghz contest contact.
02:36Z WØGHZ EN34 5-9S SSB 240Km
I worked Gary WØGHZ/9 in EN34px Hudson, WI for my 3rd state. Also worked Jon WØZQ/Ø in EN33iw for my 5th grid from home. Considerable elevation was used on these contacts. About the time of the radar image, all three of the stations worked were being heard.
15:12Z WØGHZ EN34 5-9S SSB 240Km 15:45Z WØAUS EN35 5-9S SSB 225Km 16:15Z WØGHZ/9 EN34 5-9S SSB 251Km Wisconsin 16:28Z WØZQ/Ø EN33 5-8S SSB 358Km
I worked Jon WØZQ for his 5th grid from EN34is. The path was about 10 degrees west of direct and elevation near the horizon. I could also hear him farther west and with as much elevation as 40deg, but not as strong. The storm was approaching from the SW at the time of QSO. I also worked Gary WØGHZ again several times over the next two hours. The SSB signals were as strong as S9 and quite steady. I continued, as weather allowed, calling and looking for other stations until 00:17Z as Gary monitored and no one else was worked, but the signals remained useable even after the local thunderstorm passed through.
22:34Z WØZQ EN34 5-9S SSB 265Km 23:58Z WØGHZ EN34 5-9S SSB 240Km
A New Rainscatter Season - 3 Grids -- April 18, 2004
Set up on the beach in front of the house, this was the first rain scatter with my own system. Here, I'm sending grid and report with the old J-38 straight key. A large front pushed through and tops were over 40,000 ft north of Minneapolis. The weather radar included some 65dBZ returns, so there was serious stuff in this system. The temp here was 45deg and down in the Minneapolis area it was 87degrees. That is ice on the water behind me! The transverter and PA are wrapped in a shop towel to keep them warm. WØGHZ, KØFQA and KT8O were even worked on FM, full quieting with the usual bit of FM rainscatter "pop and crackel".
21:22Z WØGHZ EN34 5-9S SSB 240Km 21:40Z KØFQA EN35 5-9S SSB 218Km 21:50Z KMØT EN13 5-9S CW 493Km New personal distance record 22:00Z NØUK EN34 5-9S CW 252Km 22:46Z KT8O EN34 5-9S SSB 251Km
The system is a DEM transverter, Qualcomm PA at 900mw and 18" DSS dish
with a modified feed.
KØAWU 10Ghz Portable System
KMØT EN13vc -- April 18, 2004
This is a radar image of the cell that was used for this QSO. The red lines
show the path angle involved. The direct distance between us is 310 miles (493km), this path distance exceeded 360 miles. The angle of about 125 degrees was much different than my previous "forward scatter" angles. The intensity and height of this cell provided a S-9 signal level on this end. This path geometery shows promise for possible contacts with VE4MA from the "beach", with cells to the N or NE of me, instead of the NW paths used a mile away before. It may take a very intense cell however. Mike is a new 10Ghz state as well, Iowa.
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